I have actually utilized a lot of various email list systems throughout the years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a huge advocate of digital sovereignty and having your very own platform. For that reason (and the incredible features), I have actually been making use of Beehiiv Fundraising.
So, it is indeed an unusual move for me to make a decision to utilize BeeHiiv. After all, it is a held application and I am paying monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I wish to discuss why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I intend to address the problem of digital sovereignty while using the system and I would certainly also such as to deal with why I selected to use it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Developed For Newsletters
In Concern # 435 of my newsletter called My Leisure activity + A Big Change In Method, I spoke about just how and why I determined to transform my motor home blog into largely a newsletter. I chose that was the business model I wanted to go after with that building.
However, to purposefully pursue it as an e-newsletter, I desired a system that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the e-mail checklist for Happily motor home, but FluentCRM is not a newsletter platform. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, honestly, using it for newsletters is a bit of a waste. Much more on that particular in a little bit.
As I said because concern of the e-newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools constructed right into it specific to my purpose. Points such as:
- Capacity to publish (to the blog) and send out the email simultaneously without having it be 2 separate actions.
- Constructed in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM doesn’t have that and I would certainly have needed a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in capability to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are basically one-click subscription links. Great for promo in other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, however, so there are means to do that.
- Ability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your newsletter.
- Integrated ad network, if I choose to monetize with advertisements in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated capability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and basically run a premium newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers with features targeted at growth. The system was literally developed by the people who accumulated the technology for Early morning Mixture. They recognize what they’re doing.
That is the point below. BeeHiiv is built from the ground up for the objective of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a different function.
And I finished off with this:.
I might certainly be relocating The Edge over to BeeHiiv too. A minimum of, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. As a matter of fact, I simply went all out. And actually, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, triggered as it’s own property to ensure that I can expand it more deliberately too.
The goal is that each newsletter has the capacity to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown individually. Happily motor home was young, so easy to change. Yet, The Early morning WP (previously The Edge) was hidden in a sea of things right here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s own. It will obviously always be very closely linked with the Blog site Marketing Academy, yet doesn’t need to belong of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was developed for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Just A Typical Email Checklist
There’s a distinction in between an e-newsletter system and simply an e-mail listing.
You can host your e-mail listing everywhere you desire and there are a variety of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The primary distinction is that, with a newsletter platform, the act of publishing indicates that it is going to your website and to your email clients concurrently.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a web site. You are releasing to that site. Yet, you are likewise sending off to all customers at the same time. The site and it’s customers are all in one. This makes monitoring of the system much easier.
With a lot of email systems, any kind of newsletter you set up is done as an e-mail campaign. It is developed completely individually from your internet site. So, as an example, you could publish a post to WordPress however then you would need to independently construct and send out an e-mail to your listing to send it to clients. These are after that 2 separate collections of archives and 2 different actions since blog posts and your emails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress into a true e-newsletter system is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name because it pretty much “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress articles and enables them to be the exact same point. Certainly, something like Newsletter Glue would be a strong choice if I intended to continue to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you ‘d lose the development devices that come with a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter naturally includes a different set of requirements than a typical e-mail list.
You do not typically need much marketing automation. You do not normally need autoresponder sequences, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO need, though, is one smooth publishing experience and growth tools to help you construct your subscriber base that specify to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my clients that I was mosting likely to switch over the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the truth that I picked to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not imply I think Substack sucks. In fact, since Substack has actually been around much longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair things that initially got my focus:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to e-newsletter publishers. Actually, it is actually developed by the same individuals who built the innovation behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real life, doesn’t matter. But, the obvious positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter development called me out over the even more generic positioning of being a “designer”. Growth is what I’m interested in below.
- That branding and differentiation additionally suggests that BeeHiiv has some relatively large brand names and large publications utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed more at solo developers. Again, it just tells me the consumer character distinction between the two business.
Sending our my e-newsletter via FluentCRM didn’t specifically suck. The only factor I would consider trembling points up is if I thought I can expand the listing quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke precisely to that objective.
Because of the targeting, I really don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as direct competitors. I assume BeeHiiv is targeting a different sort of consumer. In fact, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being more straight competitors.
But, allow’s dive much deeper than simply the placing right here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv seems like it was developed by people who understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems extra geared towards creators.
As an example, BeeHiiv supplies custom areas on clients. Now, it isn’t as developed as something like FluentCRM. But, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv supplies Automations. Actually, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a lot like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still quite minimal in triggers and the only activity is the capacity to send out an email. However, improvements are coming. Soon enough, automations will have new triggers along with brand-new activities, such as changing custom-made fields, sending webhooks, and so on. I have actually currently seen enhancements to their automations simply because I started utilizing the system. As an example:
- Ability to set off automations based upon which details embed type they came in on.
- Capacity to automatically do re-engagement (and manage people based on opens and non-opens).
- Ability to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never will. Substack simply can not do this since the target market of Substack just wouldn’t believe to approach this like an email marketing expert.
When it concerns creating your e-newsletters, the composing user interface of BeeHiiv is simply much more geared towards newsletters. In fact, it in fact has similarities to the WordPress block builder in just how it works. I find it to be extra intuitive, directly.
Substack’s writing interface behaves and clean, however it would certainly be a lot more equal to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This difference is greater than simply type. For example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Area” and after that placed anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Visibility choices on that particular area to show it only to paid clients, hide it from email, conceal from subscribers, show just to customers, etc. Substack uses absolutely nothing such as this.
And when/if the time comes that I begin a costs subscription design, BeeHiiv does not take any kind of income. As a matter of fact, you literally attach approximately your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your profits. Depending on the amount of clients you get, that 10% can be a fair bit even more cash than the monthly expense of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This might seem nerdy, yet what it means is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv deal with the outdoors using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations in any way.
In general, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was a lot more built towards actual e-mail marketing. It was developed by individuals who “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page makes seem better developed for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I wish to see BeeHiiv add, I like the instructions it is going more than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have claimed, Substack positions itself toward “makers” greater than e-mail marketers and newsletter proprietors. For that reason, you see some things geared a lot more towards people that simply assume in regards to material creation.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous publications, they are dealt with fairly independently. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to numerous publications at the same time. This isn’t something I require, yet … awesome for people who may require it.
Substack likewise has even more social capability built-in. For instance, it has a conversation function to host talks with clients. It also has a “Notes” feature which works type of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you read. Fascinating. On the whole, Substack is set up to be extra like a social network which supports long-form web content.
Overall, Substack is also a lot more … minimal. You either take care of that or do not. Personally, I do not. However, if the objective is simplicity of interface and, frankly, features … Substack functions rather well.
Yet, I’ll be clear right here …
When it pertains to real marketing, I do not assume there’s much question that BeeHiiv is much better fit. I searched for even more factors that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, however truthfully … I have a hard time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are commonly through to be the closest competitors, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer rivals. Both are going after the same target audience and have similar capabilities.
ConvertKit is likewise positioned at designers (like Substack), yet it is a lot more strongly accommodating individuals that do it for company. ConvertKit has nice visual automation structure, it’s very own commerce system, and extra. ConvertKit is a truly good system.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a full feature-by-feature malfunction here. ConvertKit is popular currently. But, right here’s just how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has extra adaptability when it comes to it’s automations. I will likewise state that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit extra user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains marking. This is simply a fundamental function of email lists that makes it possible for segmentation in a much more adaptable method than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support tagging eventually quickly, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Fundraising.
ConvertKit does now supply the capacity to market points using their very own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that’s important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would certainly constantly choose an extra straight choice anyway. For me, I like to utilize my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been about a lot longer and therefore has way more integration options. Tons of online tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their very own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. As an example, their plugin currently also supports member-gated content in addition to auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your site. Fundamentally, this a lot more very closely puts ConvertKit right into straight competitors by having you be able to publish to your website and your email checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is seriously doing not have in these sort of third-party integrations currently. It’ll arrive. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also active taking on the growth devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not just incentivize individuals to share your e-newsletter with benefits, however you can also pay per lead within the interior advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are actually awesome features of BeeHiiv. But …
Did you recognize ConvertKit got Sparkloop? Sparkloop is one of one of the most popular viral promotion systems for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface wherefore this suggests for the system moving forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Fundraising
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that implies much less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this phase of the cycle. However, it also indicates that they are quickly creating.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have actually seen nearly weekly release of brand-new features into the system. And these aren’t puny little features … however huge features that are quite important. Their speed of advancement at this point has been impressive.
I also quite value just how receptive they are. In fact, among their item announcements concerning some layout improvements to the website design features actually had a small problem with the web content width. I just replied to that email to tell them. I rapidly got a reply directly from the chief executive officer:.
That exact same day, the problem was taken care of.
Couple of days later on, I gave them another suggestion …
Certainly, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to set off automations based upon the embed type utilized was contributed to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the group is something I actually value.
One more significant point of differentiation right here is the price. Both platforms offer complimentary plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers much more capability and more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise much more positive. ConvertKit appears less costly initially glance because their pricing web page reveals reduced numbers, nevertheless the client limitations are FAR lower and your rate quickly boosts as your checklist grows.
With BeeHiiv, your first degree paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid yearly), however you can have up to 10,000 subscribers. That exact same dimension listing is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their finest plan and the one I personally make use of), you can expand your list approximately 100,000. A list of that size would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, as well, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay yearly, also. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv is in an entirely various league when it concerns pricing (in a good way).
Will BeeHiiv at some point boost costs? They may as time takes place. However, I’m presuming people like myself who are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see how points continue.
Points I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among the things you certainly require to remember is that BeeHiiv is relatively young. They do seem to advance rather rapidly and make new item announcements rather frequently, but there are some standard features I actually want they had that I need to just await.
One is that they require to have a setup on registration forms where I might select an automation to run right at the kind level. That would certainly be remarkable for so many factors. Already, subscription types look OK, yet there’s really little settings for them to assist in segmentation.
It would certainly be nice to have marking at the subscriber level. This would be effective.
I believe webhooks should be part of automations to make integrated automations much easier and decrease reliance on outdoors tools like Zapier.
There are likewise some minor management user interface modifications that would be handy. As an example:
- Ability to bulk edit/remove clients.
- Ability to bulk edit articles (for instance, to label a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of basic areas as conventional on customers (like the name).
- Some even more customization choices for the website (such as more adaptable shade selections, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I hope they finish with it in the future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, but it isn’t excellent and definitely not virtually as established as something like FluentCRM or any other genuine CRM product.
It probably never will be, either. As I claimed, the objective is different so it would not much a lot of feeling for BeeHiiv to become a full marketing automation system. I think you never ever know, though.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv fairly a lot. Sufficient where I decided to switch my own e-newsletters over to the platform in spite of my individual choice for digital sovereignty and owning my own platform.
Put simply, for the e-newsletter posting design especially, I saw sufficient worth in their system to require the adjustment.
Remember, I do not use BeeHiiv as my special e-mail checklist. I make use of BeeHiiv of what it is proficient at, yet I deliberately have things establish to ensure that I also keep my checklist “in residence” within FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the exact same. It is just an excellent insurance policy, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your listing will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are making use of Substack today, I ‘d most definitely think about switching over to BeeHiiv. It will merely be extra business-friendly. It is targeting various abilities and various demands. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch ought to be quite uncomplicated.
If you get on ConvertKit currently, I ‘d possibly sit tight unless you have a big email listing and are consequently being fleeced with their high month-to-month bill. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating promptly. There’s additionally a respectable opportunity you’re not also utilizing several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you do not even need them. For that reason, BeeHiiv might quickly be a much better and extra inexpensive fit.
Last but not least, if you plan to be extremely deliberate concerning expanding an e-newsletter, I believe BeeHiiv is THE platform to consider and keep and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is created to be, it is among the very best games in the area today. This is the platform to view.
BeeHiiv uses a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth looking into for yourself. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll discover the complimentary account to be quite feature abundant.